Hell to Pay by Matthew Hughes

“Hughes continues to carve out a unique place for himself in the fantasy-mystery realm.
A droll narrative voice, dry humor and an alternative universe that’s
accessible without exposition make this a winner.”
– Publishers Weekly

Meet Chesney Arnstruther. Once a mild-mannered insurance actuary, now a full-time crime-fighting superhero, it’s all he can do to kick bad-guy ass while at the same time holding down a steady relationship with the gorgeous Melda. Something is going on.

Meet Xaphan, wise-cracking demon and the source of (almost) all of Chesney’s powers. He’s been asked by his infernal master to give Chesney whatever he needs… but surely stopping bad guys is not in Hell’s plan? Something is definitely going on.

Meet Arthur Wrigley, a modest yet charming older gentleman whose nasty little hobby is fleecing innocent widows. Meet Simon Magus, ancient mystic and magician from Biblical times now very much enamoured of Vegas, baby. And pray you never meet the Chikkichikk, a proud and ancient race of, well, warrior dinosaurs, from the universe that God made then rejected before He started monkeying around with this one.

Whatever the hell is going on, this is definitely the third book in the wondrous To Hell & Back series.

Author Info:

Discuss and Share:

Read an Extract:

Praise and Reviews:

“I love it when an author reveals that there’s been a bigger story behind the individual books’ plots. Hughes never hid this, but each new book shows new layers and tie them all together.”
– Annie Smith, Summer Reading Project

“The first book in the series was very good, the second was better. The events of those books were leading up to this final volume in the trilogy and it’s the best yet.”
– Dave Brzeski for The British Fantasy Society

“A highly enjoyable read, with some interesting philosophical underpinnings and surprising twists. The book makes for a satisfying ending to the To Hell & Back series, which gave us a quirky, off-beat story about an unlikely super hero, with unexpected depths.”
– Mieneke vam der Salm, A Fantastical Librarian

“Those who read the first two books from this Canadian author will jump on the third one but for those of you looking for something original and amazing to read that looks at everything we are and twists it – give To Hell and Back a shot.”
– Tome of Geek

“This final volume builds up to a pleasing metafictional climax in an alternate universe where God was trying out a different approach before our current reality. It’s great fun.”
– David Marshall, Thinking About Books

“I adored this book. It was darker and more serious than I expected but not without taking away from what I loved.”
– Don’t Panic